The evolution of pocket gadgets is amazing. If quite recently one could be surprised by the ability to dial a subscriber’s number by touching the display of a smart phone with a finger, then in order to make a call from a smartphone equipped with a proximity sensor, you will need to “prove” that such actions are justified.
The presence of additional elements in any device increases the likelihood of breakdowns that limit its functionality or make it completely inoperable. This article will discuss the reasons for the malfunction of the smartphone's proximity sensor and possible ways to eliminate them.
Purpose of the sensor
Almost every owner of a phone equipped with a touch screen has encountered a situation where some functions of the device were activated by carelessly touching the screen. Both in push-button telephone models and on devices equipped with a touchscreen, it is possible to lock the display. The disadvantage of manually activating such a function is the time delay, which can be critical in certain conditions.
For example, while making a call, you need to temporarily lock the screen so that touching your ear does not interrupt the call or activate an unwanted communication mode. Immediately after the end of the call, on the contrary, it is necessary to interrupt the phone as soon as possible in order to avoid increased expenditure of money. In such a situation, the presence of a proximity sensor in a smartphone is difficult to overestimate, because such a device will automatically block the display during a call and remove the restriction on entering information the next time your hand approaches the screen. When carrying a smartphone in a pocket, the proximity control system can also temporarily disable touch screen activity.
The presence of a sensor of this type in the phone allows not only to significantly increase the level of comfort when handling the gadget, but also to significantly save battery power, because the turned on display consumes a significant amount of electricity.
What to do if your Android phone's proximity sensor stops working
Our smartphones are made up of many parts that work in unison to offer us the comfort we take for granted. The proximity sensor helps simplify many of the ways we use our phones, and you will only be able to recognize these things if it fails.
Let's take a look at what our proximity sensor is capable of and how to fix one that isn't working properly.
What does the proximity sensor do?
The role of the proximity sensor is to detect how close you are to the phone and react accordingly. This helps activate features in response, such as lighting up the screen if you look at it or turning off the display if you hold the phone to your ear. The proximity sensor detects your facial features to unlock your phone.
If you put your phone in your pocket, the sensor will prevent you from accidentally pressing the touch button. This is a useful chip that you may never notice in your daily life, but it plays a huge role in providing small conveniences.
How to check the proximity sensor
If you're not sure if your phone's proximity sensor is working properly, you can run tests to check it. We advise you to reboot your phone before attempting any of the following steps to get rid of any temporary errors/glitches that may be affecting your phone.
One way to test the sensor is to simply hold your phone up to your face and see if it lights up. Another way to do this is to request a call and hold the phone to your ear to see if it answers.
If they don't work, you can download a free third-party app like Sensor Test to see if it works. If none of these methods work, your proximity sensor is likely not working properly and you should try one of the solutions listed below.
1. Remove dirt and dust near the sensor.
Dust and dirt may seem like small problems, but once they start to accumulate, they can wreak havoc on your phone. If dust blocks the proximity sensor, it may prevent it from detecting your face correctly.
Using a clean cloth or ear swab, gently wipe the top of the phone where the sensor is located. If you don't know where it is, refer to the image above. Regardless of your phone model, the proximity sensor is always located on the top of the phone.
After cleaning, check if it works now. Also make sure there are no cracks or scratches near it as this could also affect your sensor. If they are, you may need to visit a repair center.
2. Check if the screen protector is blocking it.
Screen guards are another major reason why the proximity sensor may not work properly. If the glass is too thick or doesn't fit your phone, it may cause detection issues.
If you recently installed a new screen protector, carefully peel the material away from the touchscreen and wipe the screen clean.
Check if the phone's sensor is working now using the previously mentioned methods. When purchasing screen accessories, be sure to choose one that is made specifically for your phone model and check that it works properly.
Related: Android Motion Sensor Security Risks and How to Stay Safe
3. Update your phone
Bugs and glitches can always occur and ruin your phone. This could be due to incompatible software updates or simply temporary issues that resolve themselves. Phone manufacturers release updates to fix these errors, so it's a good idea to make sure your phone is up to date.
To check if there are any pending updates on your phone, go to Settings > System > Advanced > System Update .
4. Use the app to recalibrate your device's proximity sensor.
Recalibrating your phone's sensors can help resolve problems that may have arisen as a result of errors or glitches. Calibration is important because it helps ensure that your sensors are reading information accurately.
You may have experienced this with Google Maps, which will prompt you to recalibrate your compass from time to time so that you can always pinpoint your location accurately.
Similar to resetting your phone, recalibrating your sensors can help them work properly. To recalibrate the proximity sensor, use the Reset/Fix Proximity Sensor app, which can be downloaded for free from the Play Store.
5. Reset your device.
If all else fails, your phone is likely damaged and needs to be taken to a professional for repair. That's why you should try resetting your phone before doing this. This will delete all data and turn it back into a blank slate. This will help get rid of errors that could not be resolved by other methods.
It is recommended that you back up your data before doing this and sync all your information with your Google account. This way, you won't lose any information and Google will restore everything for you once the reset is complete.
You can check out our guide on how to factory reset an Android phone if you are not in the know.
6. Take it to a specialist.
If none of the above methods can fix your proximity sensor, it is most likely damaged and needs to be taken to a repair center. If you recently dropped your phone or had an accident with it, this is the most obvious reason. The proximity sensor is very fragile and can be easily damaged by too much pressure.
We recommend taking your smartphone to an authorized repair center and entrusting the matter to professionals. It may be tempting to watch a YouTube video and try to fix it yourself, a smartphone is a fragile device that you shouldn't try to fix without any knowledge.
Your phone can work without a proximity sensor
The smartphone has been greatly improved to help us without even realizing it.
The proximity sensor isn't something so important that you can't use your phone without it, and you may find that it's quite easy to get used to without its conveniences. But it is important to recognize the value of these small changes that we are not aware of.
Types of sensors
Mobile devices equipped with a touch screen can be equipped with two types of proximity sensors:
- Infrared.
- Ultrasonic.
Infrared devices are the most common. A prerequisite for installing this type of sensor is the availability of free space on the front panel of the phone.
In frameless smartphones, such a technical solution is in principle impossible, so scientists have developed technologies that make it possible to reliably determine the presence of a person’s hands using an ultrasonic signal. In the latter case, no additional devices are required to detect hand movements. The operating principle of the ultrasonic device is fully implemented using the smartphone’s audio system.
Protective glass, dust and dirt
Incorrect operation of the Xiaomi sensor is caused by incorrectly installed protective glass, the transparency of which at its location is insufficient for reliable operation.
Try cleaning the glass with a dry soft cloth, or, if the dirt is too strong, with a slightly damp cloth.
If there is a film stuck on the screen, try to clean it, but if it is old and scratched, peel off the film and check the operation of the sensor without it.
Make sure that there are no air bubbles, dust or other foreign objects where the protective glass or film adheres to the screen.
Let's assume that you have checked the condition of the screen and cleaned it, but stable operation is still impossible, then we move on to the last stage of diagnostics.
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How to turn it on
Owners of gadgets equipped with a touch screen may encounter a problem when the zoom function on their smartphone is not activated. How to turn on the proximity sensor is always indicated in the instructions for the phone, but if this document is lost or the communication device was purchased second-hand, you will need to complete a small “quest” to find the treasured switch. In most smartphone models, the action algorithm will be as follows:
- Open the phone settings menu.
- Go to the “Challenges” category.
- Go to the “Incoming calls” section.
- Find the “Proximity Sensor” section.
- Check the box next to this function.
If for some reason you need to disable the proximity device on your phone, then just uncheck the checkbox.
How to check the hall sensor on a smartphone?
Since the Hall sensor reacts to changes in the magnetic field, you can check its operation in the phone using an ordinary magnet (even a small piece is enough). When you bring it near the switched on device, the screen should go dark. The device triggered and sent a command to block the device.
Interesting materials:
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Settings
If this function is activated on the phone, but for unknown reasons does not work, then calibrating the proximity sensor will, in many cases, completely eliminate the problem. For this purpose, just download and install a special application on your phone:
You can figure out how to configure the proximity sensor using the specified program yourself, but you can follow the recommendations below:
- Download and install the application (can be found on the Play Market).
- Run the program.
- Press the “Calibrate Sensor” button.
- Completely cover the sensor with your hand and click “Next”.
- Remove your hand and click “Next” again.
- Click successively on “Calibrate” and “Confirm”.
- In the new window, you should give the program root rights by clicking “Allow”.
- Wait until the device automatically reboots.
After turning on the smartphone, you should check the functionality of the proximity sensor. If the sensor does not work well or completely refuses to perform its function, the phone should be taken to a specialized workshop. If the smartphone has already been repaired, then perhaps the sensor was accidentally damaged while troubleshooting other problems.
Method 1: Engineering menu
As a rule, it is impossible to adjust the proximity sensor from the operating system settings, but this can be done in the engineering menu, intended for testing and debugging various components of the mobile device. As an example, we will use an Asus smartphone, but on other devices the actions will be similar, if their menu even provides for calibration.
- We open the engineering menu by entering a special code - *#*#3646633#*#*.
The combinations differ depending on the device manufacturer and even the type of processor. We have already talked in detail about entering the engineering menu using code or third-party software in one of the articles. Read more: How to open the engineering menu on an Android device - Go to the “Hardware Testing” tab, tap “Sensor” and select “Proximity Sensor”.
- Click “PS Calibraion” and then “Calibration”.
- Pay attention to the “PS” value at the top of the screen. If this value changes when you bring your hand or any object to the sensor, it means the sensor is working.
- We carry out the setup. Place the phone on a horizontal surface. First, tap “Calculate min value” to calculate the minimum proximity value, and then bring an object 1–3 cm closer to the sensor and calculate the maximum value.
Click “Do calibration”. The proximity sensor must not be covered during setup. When the process is complete, exit the engineering menu and reboot the device.
To repeat the calibration, reset the result by clicking “Clear calibration” and perform the same actions.
- If the message “Fail” appears in the “Result” field, it means that the sensor setup was unsuccessful. In this case, restart your phone and follow the steps provided. However, this does not always help and then you will have to resort to another method.
Failure after replacing the display
If the proximity sensor does not work after replacing the screen, then most likely the plastic piece of glass that is installed between the sensor and the front panel of the phone has been lost. Such a malfunction can be eliminated only by installing this part in place. Also, the proximity sensor in a smartphone may not work if the cable leading to the sensor was damaged as a result of replacing the display.
If the screen was replaced at a repair shop, then you must file a claim, provided that the warranty for the work has not yet expired. Otherwise, you may need to purchase and install a new sensor. It is also recommended to entrust this work to a qualified specialist.
What types of sensors are there in a smartphone and why are they needed?
Modern mobile devices have a large range of sensors, and occasionally among them there are unusual options such as measuring ambient temperature and humidity, ultraviolet radiation and pulse, as happened with the Blackview BV9900 smartphone.
But the standard set includes completely different, more familiar sensors.
The most popular of them can be safely called accelerometer . Designed to measure acceleration along three coordinate axes (X - transverse, Y - longitudinal and Z - vertical) taking into account gravity. Thanks to the data received, the smartphone seems to begin to understand its position in space, and functions such as auto-rotating the screen or launching applications by shaking the smartphone appear. The accelerometer has also found use in some games and applications - thanks to it, when you tilt the smartphone, you can control anything on the screen. This control method will be a good addition to the touch screen.
The second most popular is the proximity (or proximity) sensor, which turns off the screen during phone calls if the smartphone is near the ear (or any other part of the body). And it can, on the contrary, prevent the display from turning on when the device is in your pocket. Almost all modern smartphones are equipped with a separate proximity sensor, but some devices implement a software method for turning off the screen during a conversation, which will be discussed in the article a little later.
An ambient light (light) sensor is also almost always used, with the exception of rare budget models. It measures the level of ambient light in lux, and is responsible for automatically adjusting the brightness depending on external conditions. Moreover, in some smartphones, auto-brightness cannot be turned off, and along with the backlight, the saturation of color shades can also change.
Through a magnetometer (compass), the external magnetic field is measured, or rather its strength along three axes. As you might guess, a compass is needed to determine the cardinal directions, and it also simplifies the work with navigator applications - on maps it is much faster to determine the direction of movement. Unfortunately, not all smartphones have a magnetometer anymore, but it may well be found in a budget device.
Gyroscope , which is sometimes confused with an accelerometer, actually works in tandem with it and is useful for measuring speed around the X, Y and Z axes. Without a gyroscope, it is impossible to watch 360-degree videos and use VR technology, since the smartphone will not be able to track and capture movement in three-dimensional space. Without a gyroscope you cannot play some games comfortably. The most popular example is Pokemon Go, in which users with devices that do not have a gyroscope cannot enable augmented reality mode and catch Pokemon through the camera.
A sensor called a pedometer , which measures the number of steps taken by the user, has become a frequent guest in smartphones. Without it, some applications designed to display the user’s physical activity will either not work at all, or only part of their functionality will become available. At the same time, there is software that measures steps only using an accelerometer, but this method of counting will be less accurate.
The list of popular sensors ends with a barometer - it is usually found in expensive smartphones, or in some secure devices in the mid-price segment. The barometer measures air pressure and altitude, and in general, the sensor, like a magnetometer, can be a useful addition to navigation.
The full list of sensors available in a smartphone can be viewed by installing one or more free applications on the smartphone, among which Device Info, Sensor and Senson Kinetics stand out, but the list of worthy options does not end there. It’s interesting that sometimes in the lists you can see the word Virtual, which indicates the software origin of the sensor, and let’s try to figure out what it is.
How to fix it yourself
If the sensors were previously turned on, but now do not work, and before such a malfunction occurred, the device was subjected to excessive physical stress (fall, increased vibration, pressing with a heavy object), then the wire loop leading to this device may have come loose. If you suspect that the smartphone is glitching for this reason, then you should carefully disassemble the phone using a set of clock screwdrivers and carefully straighten the ribbon cable going to the sensor located on the front panel of the phone.
This method can only be used if an infrared motion detector is used as a sensor.
Incorrect device firmware
If calibration does not help, then the reason for the incorrect operation of the smartphone may be incorrect flashing; this applies not only to the light sensor. The problem is that the new firmware does not install correctly on the smartphone, receiving the remaining garbage from the old firmware. This problem concerns the update method through standard recovery (bootloader). The transition to new versions should be done via fastboot or with resetting all settings and user data (full wipe). Among the disadvantages of this method, it is worth noting that all your data and applications will be deleted, but all garbage will be deleted along with them.
